Gut microbes may reverse negative effects of a high-fat diet

Did you know that your gut sends neural messages to the brain to tell it when it is full? Researchers at the University of Georgia, Binghamton University, and Pennsylvania State University have now found that chronic consumption of high fat foods disturbs these neural messages in rats by shifting the populations of bacteria that ordinarily reside inside the gut. Delaying the fullness message can lead to overeating and eventual weight gain. Dr. Claire de La Serre and colleagues found that this negative effect may be reversed by manipulating the gut microbes. This research is to be presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking behavior.